2008 Woodie Awards
UNH alumna shares struggles with eating disorder
Amanda Flitter
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: News
For Liz Rene, a recent UNH alumna, it started in seventh grade with a class trip to a water park.
"For some reason I wanted to lose seven pounds [before the trip]," said Rene in a written statement. "I was never fat, but I had always played a lot of sports and was muscular. I started to cut out some food groups and restrict a bit."
Rene estimates that she lost a couple pounds through dieting, but she lost more weight while sick with mononucleosis. Afterward, she could not return to her usual weight.
"Once I had lost that weight it was like I couldn't allow myself to gain it back," she said.
It led to a seven-year battle, with three attempts at treatment, before she made a successful recovery.
Rene's story is not uncommon. According to the National Eating Disorders Association website (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org), as many as 10 million women and 1 million men are struggling with some type of eating disorder - with millions more struggling with binge eating.
College students and teenagers make up the largest group affected by eating disorders. According to the Eating Disorder Foundation, 27 percent of girls age 12 to 18 show significant eating disorder symptoms; 31 percent of college females have an eating disorder. According to a UNH counseling center survey conducted in 2001, over 25 percent of UNH student respondents reported an eating disorder or symptoms of disordered eating.
Suzanne Sonneborn, a nutrition educator at UNH's Office of Health Education and Promotion, said the number of people affected by eating disorders is probably higher than reported, since many students will not disclose personal eating habit information. This is because there tends to be secrecy and shame surrounding eating disorders. She said the percentage of students who exhibit disordered eating at some point during their years at UNH could be as high as 30-50 percent.
The feelings of shame and secrecy have presented a challenge to students and staff who are trying to reach out.
"For some reason I wanted to lose seven pounds [before the trip]," said Rene in a written statement. "I was never fat, but I had always played a lot of sports and was muscular. I started to cut out some food groups and restrict a bit."
Rene estimates that she lost a couple pounds through dieting, but she lost more weight while sick with mononucleosis. Afterward, she could not return to her usual weight.
"Once I had lost that weight it was like I couldn't allow myself to gain it back," she said.
It led to a seven-year battle, with three attempts at treatment, before she made a successful recovery.
Rene's story is not uncommon. According to the National Eating Disorders Association website (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org), as many as 10 million women and 1 million men are struggling with some type of eating disorder - with millions more struggling with binge eating.
College students and teenagers make up the largest group affected by eating disorders. According to the Eating Disorder Foundation, 27 percent of girls age 12 to 18 show significant eating disorder symptoms; 31 percent of college females have an eating disorder. According to a UNH counseling center survey conducted in 2001, over 25 percent of UNH student respondents reported an eating disorder or symptoms of disordered eating.
Suzanne Sonneborn, a nutrition educator at UNH's Office of Health Education and Promotion, said the number of people affected by eating disorders is probably higher than reported, since many students will not disclose personal eating habit information. This is because there tends to be secrecy and shame surrounding eating disorders. She said the percentage of students who exhibit disordered eating at some point during their years at UNH could be as high as 30-50 percent.
The feelings of shame and secrecy have presented a challenge to students and staff who are trying to reach out.
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